Page 191 of Double or Nothing

“I’m sure he did look at them, yes. As well as the woman offering them for sale.”

My stomach twists. I shouldn’t have taken this route. It’s already veered into dangerous territory.

Dad’s eyes are studying me as he takes a sip of wine.

“How well have you come to know this Jack exactly?”

The temptation is there beneath the instinctive terror. The urge to set the whole truth down beside the shitty pastel flowers and the crystal glasses and watch this perfect dining room charade smash into pieces.

Jack.

Bryce.

Me.

Jack would do it, if he was here. He’d probably stand on the table with his wine glass raised for the grand announcement.

I hate the look on Dad’s face. The way his eyes wrinkle at the corners when he gets fucked off.

“You should be very careful,” he says.

“Of what?”

“Of confusing attention with respect. A casino owner with no backlog of social standing clearly has his motives.”

The words strike exactly where he intends them to. He’s done his research.

My imposter syndrome responds to his tone, peeping out from the darkness.

Jack bought the paintings because he wanted to fuck me, that much is true. Camilla contacted me because Jack tricked her. Nothing more.

I force the inner critic back down. It’s not going to win this time.

Jack believes in me.

Bryce believes in me.

And somewhere under all the Parker conditioning, I do too.

“I’m not a total idiot,” I say. “I know genuine interest when it comes to art.”

Mum picks up her fork, plays around with the cheese and chutney.

“Perhaps we should eat before the main course arrives,” she chuckles.

Dad ignores her.

“If you want a serious future, Alice, you need to start thinking beyond isolated sales and the attention of vice merchants like Jack Reid.”

“Vice merchants? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Casino owners.”

The contempt in his voice is palpable.

“Jack is a very successful casino owner,” I say.

Dad scoffs at that.